"Have you ever considered that it might get a little awkward if another group decided this was the best vantage point?"
High atop the tower bridge, Jenkins, breathless from the climb, clung to a wooden pillar to steady himself. He couldn't move around with the sa nimble grace as Chocolate. The wind was fierce up here, and he was afraid of being blown off.
"Rest assured, I've already made the necessary arrangents. Three days ago, the Old Joseph Construction Company, the firm in charge of the bridge's construction, announced a temporary halt to their work. To keep people away from this hazardous structure, they requested police protection from City Hall. The officers assigned to watch the bridge are Miss Windsor's people. Anyone other than us who gets close will be driven off, and even if they aren't, the sheer number of police would make them think twice."
Magic Miss explained. Although her plan had already run into two unexpected snags, at least this ti, no one else had climbed the tower.
"It sounds more like they're here to watch you."
It was a suspicion Jenkins voiced, but Magic Miss made no comnt.
By nine o'clock, the entire beach was teeming with citizens awaiting the fleet's return. From their perch on the bridge, the crowd looked like a swarm of ants crawling over a sweet cake. Even at this great height, they could feel the hubbub from below. Jenkins had to keep a tight grip on his cat to stop him from leaping up to swat at the first flock of white doves released into the sky.
"It must be a truly morable day to be down there, participating as an ordinary citizen."
Jenkins remarked, gazing down at the scene with a sigh.
"You? An ordinary citizen?"
Magic Miss scoffed.
"Of course I can be. What do you think I do in my day-to-day life?"
"Plotting conspiracies with your associates? Attending one of Miss Fabry's seminars on financial fraud? Sending letters far and wide asking people to wire you money? Or perhaps sitting in a dark room, drawing crosses on the faces of your enemies' photographs?"
the woman speculated.
"No, I never do anything like that. On any given day, I'm just an ordinary Nolan local who enjoys taking his cat for a walk. When I'm on the street, I'm no different from any of the people down there."
Magic Miss didn't reply, but Jenkins could feel her utter disbelief. He supposed that to outsiders, the Believers of Lies had no concept of a peaceful, ordinary life. They simply moved from one lie to the next, forever pushing forward.
The crowd was so imnse that by nine-thirty, access to the Docklands had to be restricted. Even then, hemd in by street vendors and police, the citizens were packed so tightly together you could probably guess what your neighbor had for breakfast.
Nolan hadn't seen this much excitent since the arrival of a certain stranger last autumn. Even the weather was cooperating. The ocean breeze had kept the city's usual thick fog from creeping into the Docklands. Standing on the bridge, Jenkins felt for a mont as if he could reach out and touch the sky.
The arrival of the Williams family, however, was no illusion. Peering down, Jenkins clearly saw Robert and Mary leading Newman and John into the celebration grounds. Even John, who was still a student, was dressed in his finest clothes for the occasion.
"What are they doing here? Does this have anything to do with our family?"
Jenkins's mind raced with alarm. He desperately wanted to rush down there and get his family away from this dangerous place. But then he saw them join a group from the Church of Knowledge and Books—dignitaries, clergy, and other faithful—and he began to relax. His relief grew when he spotted Papa Oliver in the crowd.
Papa Oliver was wearing a set of robes Jenkins had only seen once before, at the ceremony where he himself had been nad a Saint. He stood beside Professor Burns, the two of them with their heads together, murmuring about sothing. They soon noticed the Williams family and warmly invited them to join their group.
"You've been squinting and craning your neck in that direction for a while now," Magic Miss suddenly remarked, tapping him on the shoulder. He jumped, nearly losing his footing. "See soone you know?"
"Yes, so acquaintances. But they have nothing to do with this. I can't imagine why they're here."
"They're probably treating it like a spring festival. I read in the papers that all the city's schools are closed today so more people could co to the celebration. Your acquaintances likely just wanted to join the festivities. Don't worry, everything will be fine. The Kingdom's military has made extensive preparations. If any civilians were hard, it would crush morale on the front lines. The army knows what's at stake."
"I hope so. I hope everything goes smoothly."
Jenkins muttered, looking down at the crowd.
The celebration began promptly at ten. As the faint silhouettes of the fleet appeared on the horizon, a perfectly aligned battery of ceremonial cannons fired colorful blasts into the sky.
As a shower of bright confetti rained down, a thunderous cheer erupted from the packed crowd.
A band waiting on the sidelines struck up a tune. To ensure the music carried over the crowd, they relied heavily on trumpets and other piercing brass instrunts. It may have sacrificed so musical finesse, but the people didn't seem to mind one bit.
The mont the music started, Jenkins and Magic Miss simultaneously turned their gaze to the distant fleet. This world might not have been his old one, but it clearly wasn't flat. The masts appeared first, followed by the hulls rising from below the horizon. Banners bearing the crests of the Royal Navy and the crown, whipped into full display by the sea breeze, confird it: this was the returning fleet.
"It's almost ti to move."
Magic Miss said, turning her head to look away from the coastline.
"I see Femishue. He's still in that building."
Standing beside her, Jenkins faced into the pleasant sea breeze and pointed toward an old, two-story building at the edge of the Docklands. It was the office for so obscure seafood processing plant, utterly unremarkable amidst the surrounding structures.
"This is a little worse than we anticipated. He has two other Enchanters with him, both fourth-level. They're on the move... Femishue is heading to the basent. The other two are on the ground floor."
The wind was picking up, forcing Jenkins to squint.
"Still within the realm of possibility. Now, we wait for the pirates to make their move."
Magic Miss said grimly.
A sudden commotion erupted from the crowd below, but it died down just as quickly. The joyous atmosphere overwheld everything else, filling every heart with excitent. As the returning fleet drew nearer, the welcoming crowd finally broke through the police cordon, surging onto the piers. Ladies and gentlen waved handkerchiefs and hats, shouting their greetings to the approaching ships.
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